Located in the southern suburb of Paris, a SENNEBOGEN telescopic cranes is working next to buildings, between sidewalk and pavement. Upon inquiry, the crane is doing sheet piling works to build an underground pit dedicated to place containers for waste and garbage collection. With its compact dimensions and its high flexibility the SENNEBOGEN 653 telescopic crane lifts not only the steel elements in position, it is also carrying the hammer on the hook. With the vibrator the sheet piles are finally driven deep into the ground and strengthen the structure and surrounding buildings. “Thanks to the robust design and strong Full-power boom of the SENNEBOGEN telescopic cranes our foundation projects can be realized in a confined space and the machine can be maneuvered safely under load,” says Etienne Brenckmann, Managing Director of Leduc TP. “Simple to operate, many uses,” summarizes crane operator UIlrich Knöpke the advantages of the new SENNEBOGEN 653. It was used at Bauer Spezialtiefbau as a rental crane in mid-2016. An expansion of an industrial building required foundation work to lay the slab of the building. Thanks to its flexibility, the crawler-mounted telescopic crane could be used for all the logistics and hoisting work at the construction site. Steel parts up to 19 m long for anchor drilling work, construction equipment and containers were only a few example of the various lifting jobs. Here, the Full Power Boom typical for SENNEBOGEN was able to show off its strengths. It allows operator Knöpke to telescope while travelling and also while carrying a load. The boom can be extended up to 30.4 m. The telescopic crane is powered by a 119-kW diesel engine. Its crawler undercarriage is extendable for maximum stability in any situation.
Konecranes finalizes the order from the Virginia Port Authority for 86 Automated Stacking Cranes
The award covers the provision of 86 ASCs in two contracts, the first for 60 ASCs for Norfolk International Terminals and the second for 26 ASCs for Virginia International Gateway. Deliveries are scheduled in phases for 2018-2020. The value of the contracts exceeds EUR 200 million, making this the largest deal ever won by Konecranes in its history.
The Virginia Port Authority, marketed as The Port of Virginia, is the fifth largest port in the USA, and is one of the largest economic engines for the Commonwealth of Virginia. The port has experienced record growth over the past two years and is in the midst of two large-scale infrastructure projects at its largest container terminals. Virginia Governor Terry R. McAuliffe said, “Once the construction is done and these cranes are in place and operational, our port will have the capacity to process an additional 1 million containers annually, have the channel depth to handle the biggest ships in the Atlantic trade and double-stack rail service offered by Norfolk Southern and CSX to some of the nation’s most important markets.”
The agreement between Konecranes and the VPA covers two projects. The first is redevelopment of container handling operations at Norfolk International Terminals (NIT). The second is expansion at Virginia International Gateway (VIG). Konecranes supplied the Automated Stacking Crane system currently working at Virginia International Gateway. It has been working, reliably and productively, for ten years.
Both projects involve the establishment of new automated container handling operations. Konecranes will supply the Automated Stacking Cranes (ASCs) based on Automated Rail Mounted Gantry cranes (ARMGs). Sixty ASCs will be delivered to NIT. They will stack containers 1-over-5, 9 containers wide. Twenty-six ASCs will be delivered to VIG. They will stack containers 1-over-5, 8 containers wide. Globally, Konecranes has delivered 174 ASCs of the same type in 11 projects.
“Konecranes is able to take complete responsibility for this type of very large delivery because the company has extensive crane knowledge and experience from similar large projects,” stated John F. Reinhart, CEO and executive director of The Port of Virginia. “The product is field-proven, the delivery is on-time and ultimately, on-budget. We’re looking forward to putting them into use and further increasing our ability to serve as an economic engine for the Commonwealth.”
“I’m proud of the great confidence that The Port of Virginia has placed in us. We will make sure that we deserve their confidence as these projects move forward and the new terminals go online,” said Panu Routila, President and CEO of Konecranes.
The Virginia concept is the benchmark
Mika Mahlberg, Senior Vice President, Head of BU Port Cranes, Konecranes, added: “Konecranes supplied the Port of Virginia’s current automated stacking crane system in 2007. The concept we developed with the Port of Virginia at the time, the ‘Virginia Concept’, has established itself as the benchmark around the world. Since 2007, every new automated stacking crane container terminal has used the Virginia Concept to a greater or lesser degree.”
Phoenix Lighting launch EcoMod 2
Phoenix’ original EcoMod delivers superior illumination to over 500 cranes today working in ports and intermodal terminals on six continents. Since 2013, Phoenix has continued to pioneer the LED revolution and is unveiling the next generation of the fixture that has impacted so many terminals around the world – the EcoMod 2!
Customer feedback guided Phoenix’ engineering process for the EcoMod 2 Series. It was designed for all the same high-vibration, corrosive terminal applications as the original EcoMod but with a considerable reduction in size and weight. The compact design caters to those ports and terminals looking to retrofit existing cranes. Customizable mounting brackets fit existing floodlights to minimize installation time while avoiding mechanical modifications to the crane. The EcoMod 2 Series is the ideal LED solution for crane lighting retrofits as well as new equipment installations.
Whether an automated or manual container crane, the EcoMod 2 can deliver years of illumination without the costs of maintenance and repair parts. Ports can select from three different versions of the EcoMod 2 Series. When combined with Phoenix’ customized port crane optics, the 140, 280 and 420 models can illuminate cranes of all sizes. The EcoMod 2 LED floodlight is ideal for any terminal that requires smart, proven lighting fixtures.
OMC International – MetOcean Solutions alliance announces new products
OMC International’s CEO Peter O’Brien said: “These are products that we have had on the drawing board for a number of years in response to customer requests, and our alliance with MetOcean Solutions has helped provide the momentum and support to bring them to market.
“We are offering these products alongside our flagship DUKC® to assist a wider range of ports and harbours, both in our home markets of Australia and New Zealand as well as internationally.”
The new products are:
• KeelCheck, a simple calculator which helps ports which haven’t made the step to DUKC® assess the safe clearance of their traditional UKC rules.
• PortWeather, an integrated environmental data management system which will attach to ports’ existing sensors and provide measurements and port-specific forecast data to displays in the port and internet-connected mobile devices.
• BerthAlert, a comprehensive forecasting and monitoring solution for berthed ships.
“We are also providing a number of free online calculators which will help ports and mariners more critically evaluate their traditional UKC practices and make better-informed sailing decisions,” Mr O’Brien said.
“Our aim in releasing these new products is to introduce some of the technology and expertise we have built up over 23 years with DUKC® and Berth Warning Systems to a wider range of clients. We look forward to feedback from our customers to ensure the new products satisfy the needs of a wide range of ports.”
* On 3 October 2016, Melbourne firm OMC International announced it had signed a strategic alliance agreement with New Zealand-based MetOcean Solutions to coordinate research and development efforts and offer an expanded level of maritime forecasting and hydrodynamic services to port and harbour clients.